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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944132">survivors</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/townshend/pseuds/townshend'>townshend</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Eventual Relationships, M/M, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:34:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/townshend/pseuds/townshend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Cloud's geostigma is healed, he has to make new plans for a future he didn't think he had. Luckily, he has a few ideas where to start.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rufus Shinra/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Slowly, people began to leave the church and the ruins of Sector 5. By the time the sun had gone down, only a few remained. Cloud was out of the water by now, and his boots were almost dry. As he laced them back up, he felt a light touch on his arm - his newly-good arm - and glanced over his shoulder to see Tifa.</p><p>"Hey," she said. Her voice was soft, and for a moment, Cloud felt almost stung by the softness, like she was treating him with fragility. He tried to push the feeling away. "Everyone is meeting up at Seventh Heaven... you should come by."</p><p>Cloud thought about Avalanche and their celebration after the first reactor bombing. He hadn't been invited to that one. It felt like so long ago.</p><p>"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I will, I just..." He trailed off - something he was prone to. Luckily, Tifa was used to it.</p><p>"No problem. Just... don't keep me waiting all night, okay?" She smiled, and Cloud felt a burn of shame in his chest.</p><p>"I won't."</p><p>She turned and left, and for a long moment, Cloud just stood there, not quite staring at the church doors, his gaze unfocused. </p><p>Finally, he turned and took in the rest of the church. It had seen better days... the pews were worse for wear now (the ones that still remained, anyway), and the place where the floor had been torn up was much larger now. It was quiet in the church - Cloud could hear the sound of a light breeze through the cramped spaces and abandoned places of Sector 5, whistling between loose rafters above his head. He stood there in silence for a long moment, hoping he'd feel her presence again... but it was still, and quiet, and Cloud reminded himself that Aerith couldn't always be there. Not anymore.</p><p>At that thought, the familiar burst of guilt, shame, and regret started in his stomach, but he tried to stop it. He said he'd forgive himself, didn't he?</p><p>Maybe that was going to take some time, too.</p><p>Without his motorcycle, the walk back to Edge took some time. Wreckage from Midgar on at least the streets had been mostly cleared out by the WRO already, so the walk wasn't difficult, but it did take some time. About halfway through, the weariness had start to set in, and by the time he made it to Seventh Heaven's wooden staircase, he wasn't sure how he'd make it up the five steps. Just as he was considering sitting on the bottom one and probably passing out, the doors burst open.</p><p>"There he is!" a bright voice cried. "Sheesh, we were starting to think you'd forgotten about us or something!"</p><p>Yuffie came charging down the stairs, grabbing one of Cloud's arms in her own and beginning to haul him up the stairs. Luckily, Cloud managed to pick his feet up at all the right times, keeping himself from falling on his face. </p><p>It looked like a once-lively party only just beginning to wind down as Cloud stepped through the front door. Barret was standing at the jukebox, looking through the selection; Vincent and Cid were engrossed in a card game, with quite a few empty glasses around Cid's side of the table; Red was curled up in a ball under the counter, picking up his head when the door opened; and Tifa was cleaning up dishes from the bar's largest table, which still had a good number of plates with food on them. Cloud hadn't realized how hungry he was until he'd seen it...</p><p>"Got 'im!" Yuffie announced.</p><p>Tifa looked up, and smiled a big smile that reached her eyes. It was definitely a welcome sight.</p><p>"About damn time!" Barret called. He punched a button on the jukebox, having made his decision, and as he turned away from it, an upbeat song started. "Food's gonna be cold by now!"</p><p>"Yeah, sit the hell down and eat somethin'," Cid said, not even looking up from his cards. Cloud had the feeling that whatever game they were playing, Vincent was better at it. "Your scrawny ass needs it."</p><p>Cloud didn't object to that - after all, every one of them had just thrown him into the air, so maybe he was a little scrawny. The geostigma had definitely done a number on his appetite. He approached the table Tifa was cleaning. She had a stack of plates in her arms.</p><p>"Did you cook all this?" he asked. It looked like a lot of food...</p><p>"Marlene and Denzel helped," Tifa said. "It's all quick stuff I make for the bar anyway."</p><p>It had been a while since Cloud had been back... he didn't remember Tifa serving a lot of food. Maybe she'd done that before... before he'd come to Midgar, when Seventh Heaven was in Sector 7.</p><p>"Here, I made a plate for you with some of everything," Tifa said. She gestured to one, and Cloud's eyes widened a bit. She laughed. "What, are you surprised?"</p><p>He wanted to apologize that she'd had to do that for him because he hadn't been there... but instead, Cloud swallowed and said, "Thanks."</p><p>She grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Just eat it, okay? No complaining if it's cold!"</p><p>"Yeah." Cloud grabbed the plate, then looked over, finding a seat at Cid and Vincent's table. There wasn't much room, but he took his plate there anyway. He didn't get the option to see either of them very often anymore, so...</p><p>"What took you so long?" Vincent's voice was cool, looking through the cards in his hands. Even now, his gloves were still on. By comparison, Cid looked more casual, and yet... Vincent seemed a lot more relaxed. Cid didn't seem thrilled at his performance in the game so far.</p><p>"Had to walk home," Cloud said. There were a lot of things on his plate... he started with something that looked breaded and deep-fried in the corner. A vegetable of some kind? Whatever it was, it was good, even cold. Still crispy, somehow. "My motorcycle isn't exactly in the best condition after ... all that."</p><p>"What? What's wrong with her?" Cid seemed to perk up at conversation about something he was good at, even if it was just a bike. "Did she turn over at all when you tried to start her up?"</p><p>"Yeah, a little. But I don't know anything about fixing it, so..." Cloud shrugged.</p><p>"Huh. Well, I got some time with the new ship all done. Could swing over to check it out tomorrow morning."</p><p>It wasn't long before Cloud was exhausted - he felt a little bad for eating a plate of food and immediately going to sleep, but he couldn't keep his body awake any longer. He lingered at the foot of the stairs at the bar, vaguely half-listening to Yuffie and Cid argue ("I'm staying on your ship tonight!" "The hell you are! Don't just decide that by yourself!") before turning up to head to his own bed.</p><p>On the way, Cloud peeked in to the children's room. Marlene and Denzel were sleeping soundly. Cloud already knew Barret was in the guest room, so he turned down the hall, towards the room he shared with Tifa. He hadn't been there to actually sleep a night in his bed in a long time... but right now, he didn't have the energy to give that much consideration. He trudged down the hallway, opened the door, hit the bed, and fell asleep before he could even get his pauldron off. </p><p> </p><p>The next morning, Cloud woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. He slowly sat up, stiff and uncomfortable in bed, his body aching from the terrible way he'd slept. At some point, Tifa (he assumed) had tried to help - she'd managed to get at least his pauldron and main holster off, although some leather strapping still remained. She'd also pulled his boots off, which he hadn't even realized were still on. He felt a little embarrassed as he re-dressed himself. Tifa’s bed was already made, so she must have already been awake.</p><p>Within minutes, despite his aching muscles, Cloud was downstairs, lured by the smell of cooking meat. Something was sizzling in a frying pan, and Tifa was standing in the kitchen, cracking an egg into a bowl.</p><p>"Good morning," she said. "How'd you sleep?"</p><p>"Fine," he said, which was a lie.</p><p>The jukebox was silent now, but the bar wasn't deserted. Barret and Marlene were eating breakfast together at a table by the windows, and Denzel was sitting there with them, fork in hand. When his gaze met Cloud's, he suddenly sprung up out of his chair and threw the fork onto his plate with a loud clatter, running for Cloud. Cloud had only a second to prepare before Denzel made impact and his arms were around Cloud's waist. Cloud returned the hug after a moment, his own arms wrapping around Denzel's shoulders for a brief second before Denzel pulled back.</p><p>"I'm so glad you're here," he said. "I thought you left us forever."</p><p>Cloud felt a sting of regret at that, but he couldn't exactly fault Denzel for feeling that way. It wasn't like he'd planned on coming back. He'd had reasons for that that had felt right then, but now...</p><p>"Cloud, do you want one egg, or two?" Tifa called. Cloud, unprepared to answer that question, hesitated.</p><p>"Uh--"</p><p>"Two it is, then," Tifa said, cracking another. Cloud sighed. Everyone was trying to get him to eat more, it seemed.</p><p>As if reading his mind, Barret called after him, "Get your scrawny ass over here!"</p><p>Marlene giggled, used to her father's language by now. Denzel grabbed Cloud's hand, pulling him over to the table, and Cloud took a seat next to Denzel, across from Barret and Marlene.</p><p>"Morning," Cloud said, more to Marlene than anyone else. She smiled.</p><p>"Good morning!" she said, brightly. "Daddy says he's gonna stay here for a while!"</p><p>"Oh yeah?" Cloud looked over at Barret, who shrugged.</p><p>"Yeah, said I'd stick around while we organize a team to go back out to the field I scouted earlier," he said. "You interested? Well, I guess that'd be boring work for you. Could always use security, though."</p><p>"Pass," Cloud said, without hesitation. Then, after a second, "I think I need to take care of something, anyway."</p><p>"What's that?" Barret took a big bite of toast, which was completely smothered in jam. Tifa was spoiling them.</p><p>"A hunch." Cloud frowned. He wanted to say more... he didn't necessarily want to keep being so secretive. But... he didn't want the kids to think that anything was wrong.</p><p>"Are you going away again?" Denzel asked. His voice was full of hope, which Cloud knew he was about to dash.</p><p>"Not far," Cloud said, finally. "Just need to meet with Rufus Shinra and talk about something."</p><p>Barret scoffed. "And here I figured that guy was dead," he said. About that moment, Tifa appeared with Cloud's plate, setting it down in front of him. There was toast, two eggs, and fried bacon, and like Barret's, Cloud's toast had butter and jam.</p><p>"Enjoy," Tifa said. She pulled a chair over from another table, sitting at the head of the table. "What's this about Shinra?"</p><p>Cloud frowned. "Just... want to make sure everything has really been disposed of. That's all."</p><p>"Hmm." Tifa looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's probably a good idea, but... how can you be sure? It's not like you can just ask them and they'll be honest with you."</p><p>"Why the hell they have that damn box in the first place?" Barret asked. "Ain't that just like Shinra, holdin' on to something that's tryin' to destroy the planet?" He shook his head. "Feels like they're right back at it."</p><p>"Anyway... I want to talk to him about it." Cloud took a bite of his eggs, fried over-easy. It was really good.</p><p>"I think he owes you an explanation, at least," Tifa said. Barret laughed.</p><p>"You think he cares what he owes?" he asked. "He don't care 'bout nobody but himself."</p><p>After breakfast, Cloud met up with Cid (who did, in fact, have Yuffie on his airship). Despite Cid's loud, long explanations as to what, exactly, had been upgraded from the Highwind, the ship didn't seem much different to Cloud. He did appreciate the trip to Sector 5 being a lot shorter, though.</p><p>Once Cid saw Cloud's bike, he started fussing over it (and scolding Cloud, here and there, until Yuffie reminded him he'd "kicked freaking Sephiroth's butt, again" and Cid grumbled but shut up). It needed a new part, as it turned out, and Cloud knew a shop in Edge that sold scrap and salvaged machine parts, so they went back for it. The reduced amount of natural light that Sector 5 could get was already scattering in bright oranges and pinks by the time they got back, and it was completely dark once Cid was finished. He seemed pretty satisfied as he dusted off his hands, wiping grease away with a cloth he'd taken from his ship along with the rest of his tools.</p><p>While he'd worked, Cloud and Yuffie had done what they could to clean up the church. There was no fixing the floor right now, although Cloud wanted to fix it eventually - at least back to what he remembered. But they'd cleaned up a lot of the broken wood and debris, and swept away dirt and scattered leaves and petals into the water. Already, the water level looked a lot lower - it had started to sink into the exposed earth, and Cloud wondered if maybe new flowers would grow. He hoped so.</p><p>The familiar sound of the bike's rumble as it started up alerted them that Cid was done with repairs. Cloud and Yuffie stepped out of the church, and Cid greeted them with an expression Cloud could only describe as pleased with himself. That was fair - Cloud was pretty pleased with him, too.</p><p>"Should work pretty damn good now," Cid said, lightly slapping the side, where the gas tank was. "You gotta be easier on this thing, there's only so many in this world and I don't see any motorcycle factories running right now, do you?"</p><p>He made a good point. "I'll keep that in mind," Cloud said, and Cid huffed a little, shaking his head.</p><p>"Anyway, you wanna ride it back?"</p><p>"Yeah," Cloud said.</p><p>As Yuffie and Cid boarded Cid's airship and it took off, Cloud sat on his motorcycle, thinking over his options. He told Cid he'd go back... and maybe he should. But...</p><p>Now that he wasn't so exhausted that he almost couldn't stand, Cloud felt uneasy about going back again. He told himself it wasn't because he felt guilty, or because he was isolating and pulling away, but rather because he had things he needed to be doing. He sat on the motorcycle, swinging his leg over the side, and opening the side storage compartment to store his sword.</p><p>The weight of the sword on Cloud's back was both a relief and a burden, and he was glad to unload it for a bit. With the sword back in place, it meant his job was done (again, for now) - Sephiroth was defeated. On the other hand, the weight was, literally, a lot on his weary shoulders. He wasn't exhausted and battle-weary any more, not after two meals and a night's sleep, but... he still felt tired in a different way, mentally exhausted, maybe. He couldn't stand to go back, not immediately. He would, but... he needed time.</p><p>"You always need time," he told himself. He was scolding himself, but his voice was so weak it hardly came out - just puffs of air, only really voiced in a couple spots.</p><p>Cloud started up the motorcycle, pulling out onto the highway. He had to drive through Edge to leave, and he stopped at a small convenience store off the highway and grabbed something to eat and a new phone. Cloud didn't put much thought into it, just buying the only black phone they had in stock. He didn't need anything fancy, but he needed something, even if he rarely answered it.</p><p>As he drove out away from what remained of Midgar, into the horizon, Cloud's mind turned back to Aerith. He tried to keep the warm feeling of Aerith's magic and the sound of her voice in his memory, trying to hold onto it as strong as he could.</p><p>There was the remains of an abandoned farm far out from Midgar - a small operation that was once owned by Shinra as an experiment on farming potential when growing crops on mineral-rich land found farther out from the city. For whatever reason, the buildings had been abandoned, probably long before Cloud had even left Nibelheim as a kid. The turn off was hidden from view on the main road; Cloud probably wouldn't even know this place existed if Zack hadn't pointed it out to him on their ride to Midgar so long ago.</p><p>Most of the complex was fenced in with a simple chain link fence. Cloud breezed past the small guard station (empty, of course) and pulled his motorcycle alongside an old rusted truck bearing remnants of the Shinra logo on the side. Weeds sprouted up between cracks in the pavement below its tires, dotting spots in the driveway.</p><p>There were several buildings in the complex, from what looked like several silos to a small barn to a storage hangar, but Cloud headed towards the farmhouse instead, taking the two steps up the patio to the front door. It creaked loudly on its hinges as Cloud pushed it open, but he'd been here before, so he wasn't surprised to find the door unlocked. He didn’t expect anyone else inside, either - but thought it was best, before relaxing, that he do a quick sweep of the house just to be sure.</p><p>Something about going through these rooms was just… weird. There had been a family living here at some point - parents, a young daughter, and a son. At least that was what it looked like from the rooms. The farmhouse was small, and Cloud felt uncomfortable in the bedrooms, like he was intruding in some more overt way than he already was. The family must have left in a hurry, because there were lots of things left behind. That was the only reason he could tell what kind of people had lived here. Most of the furniture was still there, and lots of personal things that made the place still feel lived-in. The living room had a well-worn plaid couch, a small coffee table, and a wooden rocking chair. There was a radio on a shelf on the wall, but Cloud knew this place didn’t have any energy. The living room also had a few boxes filled with books, like they’d been packed but left behind in the move.</p><p>While Cloud didn’t see any noticeable leaks in the roof, the humidity in the area had definitely set in over the years, and there was a definite smell of mildew. Cloud didn’t mind it too much, really, but still crossed the living room and went to the window. It was a struggle to get it open, but the window finally slid up, screeching on its track.</p><p>There was a puff of dust as Cloud sat on the couch, taking out his convenience store meal and popping the top off. As he ate, he opened the new phone, and made a call to an automated line that allowed him to forward the calls from his old phone to this one, which was the best (or at least, the easiest) way he knew how to replace it.</p><p>Then, he sat back, finished his meal, and considered his next move.</p><p>It was hard to know what to do. He’d had a plan before all of this - namely, to get away from everyone and await death, just like Tifa had said. She’d read him pretty easily… not really surprising.</p><p>In a way, maybe it was nice to be known by someone like that. Sometimes (or maybe, lately, most of the time) recently it felt like Cloud didn’t know himself, but… if he was predictable to Tifa, there must really be something there.</p><p>Now that his geostigma was cured, he was in the strange position of having to revisit what he thought was his last decision; he was suddenly forced to map out a future he hadn’t thought he had. It was strange and disconcerting. Cloud felt like, mentally, he was standing on uneven ground.</p><p>For now, he’d start where he’d told Barret he’d go - Rufus Shinra. He had to make sure that Jenova really was gone, and he needed to know why the hell they’d kept it in the first place. It wasn’t like anyone else was going to hold them accountable.</p><p>Cloud finished his meal, took off his boots, and laid down on the couch. (There was no way he was sleeping in any of those bedrooms, even if the beds were all still there.) It briefly crossed his mind that, if he was going to end up staying here long-term, he should probably at least try to clean and dust the living room. But really, this was an inconvenient base without at least running water, and it was a Shinra facility, making it a little strange to stay there.</p><p>He rolled over, facing the back of the couch, crossed arms over his stomach, and closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts away. A conversation with Rufus Shinra and some serious thinking about his (temporary) living situation was on the schedule for tomorrow, but for now, it was time to sleep - and really, that was about all of the future that Cloud could plan right now. Luckily, it wasn’t long before he drifted into sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! Thank you so much for reading!! This is my first published work in this canon, and to be honest, I haven't experienced the entire FF7 compilation - specifically, Before Crisis and On the Way to a Smile - so while I've read summaries, I haven't played/read those in their entirety, making it unlikely this story will comply with them. It's also been a while since I've played Dirge of Cerberus or Crisis Core, so please feel free to let me know if there's any errors or issues you come across. (Especially if I can fix them, haha.) </p><p>That having been said, I'm going to play a little loose with canon, maybe... but then again, so is Nomura, so I guess it's okay.</p><p>Cloud isolating himself and the mental struggle he goes through in Advent Children is very relatable, and while he does make progress in the course of the movie, I wanted to explore a little more how something like that can go back and forth and takes real time to work through, so this fic is kind of a response to that.</p><p>Also, don't worry, Rufus is making an appearance in the next chapter.</p><p>Any comments are very very appreciated!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Some time early in the morning, Cloud woke up to the sound of wind whipping through the open window, which clattered loudly against the panes. Without a blanket, it was frigid - Cloud shuddered, the cold filling his half-awake mind, for a moment, with images of crystal caverns and icicles. He pushed the thoughts away, his sleepy haziness dissolving quickly in the cold wind.</p><p>Cloud closed the window and sat back down on the couch. His body ached; the couch had not made a very good bed. It was old, worn, and musty - maybe not the worst place he’d ever slept, but definitely up there.</p><p>No power, no running water, and no passable place to sleep. He could deal with one of those, or maybe even two, but all three was a deal breaker. He officially needed to find a new place to stay. The farmhouse had served its purpose for now.</p><p>The sun was just coming up over the trees when Cloud stepped out of the house. He felt weary and tense, but the sunrise was a nice sight. The golden light filtering through trees made him feel like he was worlds away from the twisted metal and rubble that was Midgar.</p><p>As Cloud got on his motorcycle, he thought about Tifa’s breakfast. His stomach was rumbling - the small meal he’d gotten from the convenience store the night before had had no real staying power. For a moment he wondered why he hadn’t stayed in Edge, where he could eat hot, delicious food and not disappoint people he cared about.</p><p>Then he remembered he still had Jenova to worry about, for now. It was time to go find Rufus and get this figured out.</p><p>He started up the motorcycle, kicked the kickstand up, and pulled out of the farm complex, past the guard station made of crumbling brick. Calling ahead would probably be the best thing to do - after all, he wasn’t even entirely sure where Rufus was. They’d last met at Healen Lodge, which was out past Edge, about an hour’s drive from where Cloud was now - but now that Rufus was (presumably) cured, Cloud wondered if he’d stay there, laying low.</p><p>Once he was closer to Edge, Cloud pulled off the road, grabbing his phone from his pocket. The problem with having to get a new phone meant he didn’t really have any of his contacts saved anymore. He could remember the number to Seventh Heaven, though - and so after a moment’s hesitation, Cloud called.</p><p>There was an answer after two rings. “Cloud?”</p><p>It was Tifa’s voice, sounding like she’d run over to the phone.</p><p>“Hey.” He hadn’t expected her to answer that way - it threw him off guard.</p><p>“Where are you? Have you talked to Rufus yet?”</p><p>“No… I was wondering if you had a number I could use to find him.” He shifted his bike down on its kickstand, relaxing a bit against the seat.</p><p>“Oh right… you lost your phone, huh.” She hesitated a bit, then said, “I know Reno called here a few days ago. I’ll find the number. Hang on.”</p><p>Cloud waited. The line went silent, then beeped a couple times - maybe Tifa was looking through the phone menu to find the number that had called. After a moment, there was the sound of a rustle, as Tifa pressed the phone back to her ear. “Okay - I’ve got the number. But you don’t have a way to write it down right now, do you?”</p><p>It wasn’t like he typically carried around a notebook or anything.</p><p>“Oh…” Cloud kind of trailed off. “Well, just give it to me, I’ll remember it.”</p><p>Tifa laughed. “I’ll send you a text message. You can get those, right?”</p><p>Cloud honestly wasn’t sure. “Try it,” he said. </p><p>Tifa said goodbye and hung up, and seconds later, Cloud’s phone buzzed. When he opened it, there was a message from a number Cloud recognized now as Tifa’s cell phone. It had a phone number, and then a heart symbol. </p><p>Cloud hit a button, started up his bike, and pressed the phone to his ear with one hand as he guided the bike back out onto the dirt road leading away from Edge. The phone rang, rang, and then rang again. Cloud was starting to think no one was going to answer, when finally: “—tta be kidding me, this is just— yeah, hello?”</p><p>It was definitely Reno, and he sounded pretty winded, like he was caught up in the middle of some kind of intense fight, helicopter crash, bomb detonation, or other similar Turk activity.</p><p>“…It’s Cloud,” he said, maybe a second too late to sound normal.</p><p>“Okay? And?” Reno was clearly trying to catch his breath.</p><p>“I need to talk to Rufus.”</p><p>Reno laughed, a loud burst of sound that rang in Cloud’s ear. “What, you think I’m his secretary now or something? Well— okay, he might not actually have one anymore. Y’know, I’m pretty busy right now, not sure if you— hey, <i>partner</i>!” Reno was yelling again, and if Cloud hadn’t been focused on driving, he’d probably pull the phone away from his ear. Clearly, Reno wasn’t talking to him. “Shit shit <i>shit</i>, pull up, pull up, pull— hey, look, Cloud, I don’t really have the time for this conversation right now, yo!”</p><p>Cloud sighed. “Just tell me where he is.”</p><p>“Why, you wanna play nice <i>now</i>? Isn’t it a little late for that?” Whatever Reno was doing, he sounded like he was paying a little more attention to Cloud now. “The boss already tried to get you to cooperate!”</p><p>There was the sound of rustling, and Reno, now sounding farther away, yelling <i>”hey!”</i>, and then the voice on the other end of the line was smoother, much more collected, low and to the point.</p><p>“What do you want with the president?” It was Rude, obviously. Cloud was almost glad he’d taken over.</p><p>“I need to talk to him about Jenova.”</p><p>Rude considered this for a moment. “We’ll tell him to call you.” Then, the line went dead.</p><p>Cloud sighed. He should have expected that.</p><p>With no timeline on when to expect a call back, Cloud wasn’t sure exactly how to proceed. He could only guess that Rufus was in fact back in Healen Lodge - after all, it had looked like they were intending on making the place some kind of base of operations, and while the place had looked pretty simple, it had seemed like Rufus was living there. It was the only lead Cloud really had, and even if it didn’t turn out, maybe he’d end up finding a place to stay for himself in the process.</p><p>Out past Midgar, it didn’t take long for the view to get beautiful. The mountains were very different here from the mountains he’d grown up in, full of lush trees and smooth rock walls. Cloud appreciated the beauty - it was hard not to appreciate the planet after the ordeal they’d been through together. The lodge itself was really a collection of many separate cabins and buildings, some set high up in the rock walls, connected by some platforms and staircases. Still, somehow, much of the land around it was untouched. It seemed much more integrated with nature than other Shinra facilities.</p><p>Cloud had been here before, not too long ago. Just as he was about to walk up the path towards the cabin he’d last met Rufus in, his phone began to ring.</p><p>“Strife Delivery Service,” Cloud said, although he was not really hoping for a customer on the other end.</p><p>“Hello, Cloud.” Rufus’ voice was smooth, with the same level of charm and confidence he always projected. “I heard we had unfinished business.”</p><p>“I need to meet with you,” Cloud said.</p><p>Rufus sighed. “I hear that a lot, somehow,” he said. “But I’m afraid I’m a busy man. Shall I pencil you in?”</p><p>“It’s important.” Cloud didn’t have too much patience for Rufus to play games with him. It was likely that Rufus <i>was</i> a busy man, especially if he was, as Reno had said, trying to rebuild Shinra. Cloud couldn’t imagine how something like that could be possible. But it didn’t matter how busy he was when it was possible that some part of Jenova still existed.</p><p>“Of course, it’s important. Is that why you came all the way here instead of waiting to be called, like a good dog?” Rufus asked. He had a lilt of amusement in his voice, somewhere, but Cloud still felt a sting at the words. Of course Rufus knew he was there. Shinra seemed to always know the moment Cloud stepped foot on any Shinra property. Even Meteorfall hadn’t changed some things.</p><p>Before Cloud could answer, though, Rufus had continued. “I’ll meet you.” The line went dead, and just as Cloud was snapping his phone closed and pondering how everyone he talked to in Shinra just hung up on him, he heard Rufus’ voice again. “As if I’d turn you away.”</p><p>Cloud looked up, surprised, only to see Rufus standing on the platform above him. Rufus looked down at him with an expression on his face that Cloud found hard to read.</p><p>The last time Cloud had seen Rufus, he’d looked… different. He’d been mostly covered, seemingly wasn’t able to stand, and appeared to be a shell of himself, in advanced stages of geostigma. Somehow, even though Cloud had also been cured, seeing it in Rufus was astonishing. For a moment he felt a bit dazed, thinking of Aerith and her magic that had saved them all a second time.</p><p>Of course, thinking of Aerith made Cloud determined again to destroy Jenova.</p><p>“You look healthy,” Cloud said. Their positions weren’t lost on Cloud. He wondered if Rufus had purposefully greeted Cloud from a higher platform, so he could literally look down on him.</p><p>“So do you.” Rufus waved a hand, beckoning Cloud wordlessly up the stairs. Cloud followed.</p><p>Rufus looked as if he had never been sick. He was, perhaps, a little thinner than he’d been before, but it was difficult to see much loss in muscle given the suit he was wearing. As Cloud approached, Rufus turned, beginning to walk down the platform, and Cloud followed, assuming he would lead him somewhere they could talk.</p><p>“This facility is undergoing some changes right now,” Rufus said, as they passed by several workers who were quickly moving medical equipment from an empty-looking room. “Three days ago, we were completely filled and considering emergency construction. Now…” He trailed off. “Well, circumstances have changed quickly.”</p><p>Cloud had noticed that rooms they passed seemed to be empty. Rufus led him past several smaller cabins, to a bridge leading to a dirt road, towards a secluded cabin in the rock wall on the side of the mountain. It was the same building Cloud had come to days earlier. Rufus reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and produced a thin golden keycard between two fingers, which he tapped against a sensor to the side of the main door. The door gave off a quiet chime and slid open.</p><p>Inside, there was a dark shape - Cloud felt his stomach jump in his throat, and he reached for the hilt of his sword on his back - but half a second later, his eyes adjusted to the dim light and he recognized the shape as a dog, one that was currently getting off the floor, stretching, and padding towards Rufus with a calm, gentle sway of its tail.</p><p>Rufus stepped in, reaching to scratch the dog between its ears. Cloud exhaled, his arm dropping at his side. He felt a little foolish. At least Rufus hadn’t seemed to notice Cloud readying to attack his pet.</p><p>“Take a seat,” Rufus said, as he led Cloud into a small sitting room. The room was decorated simply, without the flashy ornamentation and extravagant flourish of luxury that Cloud had come to mentally associate with Shinra executives. It had a fresh, clean sort of smell - the kind that Cloud would expect to find in a hospital. There was an empty IV stand in the corner of the room. It was all another strange reminder that, days ago, Rufus had been dying.</p><p>They’d both been dying, Cloud corrected himself.</p><p>Rufus sat at a large white leather armchair, crossing his ankles. The dog came to lay at Rufus’ feet, curling up in a ball.</p><p>“I have to admit, I’m not certain why you’re here.” Rufus seemed to be watching Cloud carefully, trying to suss something out. Cloud had no doubt Rufus was judging and evaluating him at all times. (Probably not just him.) He just exuded that kind of feeling. “To what do I owe the <i>pleasure</i> of your company?”</p><p>He’d put an extra something behind that word in his voice, but Cloud was too focused to really pay it much mind. “I’m here about Jenova,” he said. Something small in Rufus’ eyes changed, but his expression was too carefully masked for Cloud to really be able to guess what he was thinking. Rufus didn’t speak immediately, and his silence prompted Cloud to continue.</p><p>Honestly, Cloud wasn’t sure what to say. If everyone was here with him, they’d take care of this part. It was strange that Cloud had spent plenty of time alone, but still seemed unsure how to proceed on his own in a lot of situations. The silence between them stretched on, and Cloud felt uncomfortable in it. Rufus, of course, seemed completely relaxed.</p><p>Finally, Cloud said, “I didn’t know you’d recovered it.” He didn’t know because Rufus had specifically told him they hadn’t, but he didn’t mention that.</p><p>The corner of Rufus’ mouth twinged into a small smile. “We recovered the specimen shortly after Meteorfall. It was a covert operation, so I’d hope you weren’t aware.”</p><p>Cloud frowned. “Why?”</p><p>It felt a bit childish to have asked. Rufus’ smile was gone, his expression cool again. “Regardless of how you may feel about it, Jenova is proprietary Shinra company information. Besides, it would have been irresponsible to leave any part of that monstrosity somewhere isolated and unattended. And if we had, I doubt you and I would be speaking now.”</p><p>Cloud knew what Rufus meant. If he hadn’t kept Jenova concealed, those guys… Kadaj and his “brothers”, could have easily recovered it and summoned Sephiroth a lot sooner. Cloud wasn’t sure what would have happened, exactly - he’d been there the moment Sephiroth had shown, and hadn’t given him the chance to do much but fight him - but Cloud was sure it wouldn’t have been good. </p><p>Still, just because Rufus having Jenova turned out to work in everyone’s favor didn’t mean Shinra (or what remained of it) had good intentions in taking it in the first place. But Rufus wasn’t wrong in that someone had needed to recover Jenova…and it wasn’t as if Cloud had even thought to do it. He wouldn’t have known what to do with it even if he had.</p><p>“You wouldn’t have to worry about protecting it if it was destroyed,” Cloud said, because it was easiest to bypass everything else - blame, regret, “proprietary” issues - and just talk about what he was really here for.</p><p>Rufus hummed thoughtfully, although it felt a bit performative to Cloud. “You know, my presidency - as it were,” He stood as he was speaking, and the dog at his feet stirred, lifting its head to watch Rufus’ movements, “has been full of firsts. I have to say, this is the first time in company history someone has come to petition us to destroy company property.” He smiled, clearly amused by what he was saying. Cloud watched as Rufus crossed the room, going towards a small wooden cart on the other side of the room. The cart was a nice piece of polished wood furniture with two doors on its front, and on top was a small electric kettle and a stack of white mugs that fit in to each other for compact storage. Rufus took one mug, hesitated, and then looked at Cloud. “Can I offer you some tea?”</p><p>At this point, Cloud’s stomach was grumbling. Tea wasn’t going to really help, and Cloud didn’t particularly want to take anything from Rufus. “No,” he said. “I mean—“</p><p>But Rufus didn’t let Cloud continue. “As it happens, a small sample of Jenova was recovered from the recent … ordeal,” he said, while measuring some loose leaf tea into a small metal ball. The kettle had already switched on, the water inside beginning to heat. “It’s currently being held in a protective isolated container. But, I am open to having the specimen destroyed. I believe it has worn out its welcome.”</p><p>That was for sure. “We should be doing everything we can to clean Jenova off the planet,” Cloud said, and as he was saying the words, he felt suddenly pulled away from the situation, like he was hearing his voice but unable to really control his body, watching Rufus make tea on a screen far outside his reach. He tried to summon himself back to his body, clenching his fingers tighter together in stiff fists. “The last time I met you here, you told me Shinra had a debt to pay to the planet. If you really believe that, then you know you have to have Jenova destroyed.”</p><p>With that, the room was quiet - only the gentle rolling sound of the electric kettle and the quiet roar of the waterfalls outside broke it. Then, a shrill beep from the kettle broke Cloud from his dissociation, just in time to watch Rufus take the kettle from its base and pour the steaming water into his cup, gently stirring the contents before crossing the room with cup in hand, back to his armchair. He set the cup on the small table between them. Cloud glanced down at the water. From the small mesh metal tea ball, brown tendrils were slowly curling out into the water, staining it. It reminded Cloud of something else. His stomach felt uneasy.</p><p>“You’ve made your point,” Rufus said. “In fact, I think that’s the most words I’ve ever heard you say.”</p><p>Maybe that was supposed to be funny - Rufus looked amused, anyway - but Cloud could only frown. He opened his mouth to answer, and suddenly, the door on Rufus’ home swung open in the entryway behind Cloud. Rufus looked up, not alarmed, his gaze flicking over Cloud’s shoulder. Cloud turned to see Tseng and Elena walk through the door. They appeared to be in the middle of their own conversation.</p><p>“—you wouldn’t, please, it’s just—“</p><p>“Don’t concern yourself with me, Elena,” Tseng said, although he didn’t sound harsh or cruel saying it - his tone was flat, almost tired. Elena watched him with deep worry on her face, and as he turned towards her, Cloud could see why - Tseng was unsteady on his feet, and he had a bandage over one eye. If Rufus had noticed (and surely he had), he didn’t say anything, just watched them in the entryway. Elena looked over towards them, then suddenly stiffened.</p><p>“Boss!” She saw Rufus first, of course, but it would have been hard not to notice Cloud sitting across from him. “Oh— he’s here too—“</p><p>“Sir,” Tseng moved to face Rufus, standing in the doorway between the entrance room and the sitting room. He didn’t seem to have seen Cloud. “We’re unable to determine the infection rate, but remaining patients are being moved to—“</p><p>“You’re talking too much, Tseng!” Elena’s voice was sharp, and Tseng instantly shut up, turning to gape at her. </p><p>Rufus rose to his feet, crossing the room towards Tseng in three smooth strides. Cloud also stood, feeling too awkward with all three of them being just behind his chair, where he couldn’t really see them unless he craned himself around. Tseng seemed to realize Cloud was there just as Rufus came to clasp one hand on each of Tseng’s arms, as if holding him in place.</p><p>“You can put your report in writing,” Rufus said. Tseng nodded, his eyebrows furrowed.</p><p>“I think you should sit down, Tseng,” Elena murmured.</p><p>“Nonsense,” Tseng said, but Rufus immediately went to one side, Elena stepping forward to grab Tseng’s other arm, and they led him to sit on the other end of the loveseat Cloud had just stood up from. </p><p>“You have good timing,” Rufus said, going back to his chair, removing the tea ball from his cup and setting it in a small ceramic bowl that had been sitting on the table. Rufus’ dog, who had picked up its head and watched Tseng move to the couch, had decided everything was okay and set its head back down. “Cloud and I were discussing disposal of the Jenova sample.”</p><p>Elena and Cloud were both standing, somewhat awkwardly - there was a second armchair, and Elena sank into it, leaving Cloud to slowly move back to his seat next to Tseng.</p><p>“Proceeding with disposal seems wise,” Tseng said, after a moment. His voice sounded weak, and Cloud got the sense he was hiding more injuries under his clothing.</p><p>“Yes,” Rufus said. “But we have a problem.”</p><p>“The disposal facility,” Tseng answered immediately. Elena seemed to be as lost as Cloud - she looked back and forth from Tseng to Rufus.</p><p>“Disposal facility?” she asked.</p><p>“We’ll want to be thorough when disposing of Jenova,” Rufus said. He took a drink from his cup, then set it down on the table, sat back in his chair, and fixed his gaze on Cloud. “Even the smallest amount of original Jenova cells can cause unforeseen problems to both people and the planet in ways we cannot fully comprehend. For now, the planet has helped us combat these threats, but we shouldn’t be content to continue relying on that aid. Unfortunately, our main disposal facility was located within Hojo’s laboratory in the Shinra building in Midgar, and this facility was destroyed.”</p><p>No one sitting in that room could forget that - least of all Rufus, who had been in the building when it had been attacked. </p><p>“Certainly,” Rufus continued, “we could rebuild the disposal facility, as we plan to rebuild many Shinra facilities that were formerly located in Midgar. However, our rebuilding efforts are currently pledged to the WRO in reconstruction in Edge, so any Shinra-related rebuilding would be secondary to that. That would mean a wait of many months.”</p><p>“We can’t wait that long,” Cloud interjected. Rufus nodded, taking another drink from his cup.</p><p>“There is another facility,” Rufus said. Even Tseng seemed surprised by this. “It’s an older facility on the western continent. Of course, to take it there, we would need a courier.”</p><p>Cloud saw what Rufus was getting at - and so did Tseng.</p><p>“Sir—“ Tseng seemed almost hesitant to say anything, but, “can we trust someone who isn’t a part of Shinra to dispose of this?”</p><p>Rufus hummed again, looking thoughtful. “Well, given your injuries, you’ll be taking leave for seven days to recuperate,” he said, and Tseng’s posture stiffened, but Elena looked relieved, “and Elena is needed in this area to coordinate efforts with our former director and act as a representative of Shinra. We need to maintain a presence here and continue helping the people, or our reputation will only continue to decline.”</p><p>Cloud had no real interest in the minutia of pro-Shinra efforts, but he’d sit through whatever dry conversation they needed to have if it meant getting rid of Jenova. Still, even he couldn’t help but wonder if taking Jenova alone was the best idea for him.</p><p>“What about Reno and Rude?” Elena asked. “They could—“</p><p>“They’re going to be away for a while,” Rufus said. “What you’re doing in this area, they’re doing on a larger scale.” (Cloud had to wonder how goodwill efforts culminated in the phone call he’d had with Reno and Rude earlier, but kept this thought to himself.) “But, that doesn’t leave us without <i>any</i> options…”</p><p>Cloud wondered who Rufus was referring to. Someone he’d met before? But Tseng seemed to be one step ahead of Cloud.</p><p>“Sir, that would be extremely dangerous,” he said, but he sounded exhausted, like Rufus acknowledging Tseng’s need for rest had pulled away his defenses. He hadn’t even insisted on staying on duty.</p><p>“Who is it?” Cloud asked, because he wasn’t going to just sit there while Shinra employees had vague conversations around him. </p><p>“Me,” Rufus said. “I don’t need to be present here to give orders; phone communication is still up and running. And who better to trust with such a highly-classified Shinra specimen?”</p><p>Cloud had no idea how to respond to that, so he only stared back at Rufus, trying to imagine traveling with him. He had no idea what Rufus had in mind. It seemed like this task was only going to get more and more complicated…</p><p>“Of course, I’ll need time to organize the details… Elena, there is an executive suite that is empty currently, isn’t there?”</p><p>Elena was not prepared to answer that question, and she jumped a bit. Pulling out her phone, she quickly flicked through screens, then nodded.</p><p>“Yes, it looks like Suite B is open.”</p><p>“Escort Cloud there.” Rufus looked back at Cloud, turning his attention to him. “You can stay there tonight. I’ll spend the rest of the day finalizing a plan and give you the details this evening.”</p><p>Cloud had the feeling Rufus was used to being able to tell people what to do and where to do it, without even thinking someone could have other plans or be unable to follow his directives. But then again… Cloud really didn’t have other plans, and he had no reason not to be able to follow Rufus’ directives, so maybe Rufus was right. He had needed to find a place to stay…</p><p>Still, it was difficult not to feel wary at taking Shinra offers. Rufus seemed to see the hesitation in Cloud’s expression, and he smiled a smile that made a chill wash over him.</p><p>“The door will be unlocked, of course. You can come and go as you please.” Rufus clearly thought that was funny. Cloud, not so much. He stood, quickly, and Elena stood as well, giving him a wary look.</p><p>“Yeah,” Cloud said, because what else was he going to do? Shinra had Jenova, and Cloud had to play by their rules and hope that they really were going to destroy it all, and not keeping a small sample somewhere else. “I’ll see you later tonight, then.”</p><p>“Later tonight,” Rufus confirmed. As Elena led Cloud out of the cabin, he looked over his shoulder, seeing Rufus leaning forward, speaking to Tseng in a low voice. There was no way Cloud could hear him over the sounds of the waterfalls outside, louder now that the front door was open.</p><p>“Okay,” Elena said, letting out a big sigh as soon as they were outside and the door had closed behind them. “First of all, everything runs on a keycard here, so you’ll need to hang on to a keycard to go in and out of your room.”</p><p>They walked together down the stairs onto the path, back towards the bridge that led to the rest of the facility. Before they crossed the bridge, though, the path split down a different way, separated by a cluster of tall pine trees that stretched up into the air. It had been hard to see these cabins from the main path, but as Elena led him farther down, Cloud could gradually see a grouping of five cabins that looked similar (although a bit smaller) to Rufus’ above. They looked like metal pods, each one with a small staircase and metal walkway that wrapped around the cabin. They were labeled with placards outside, each stamped with a letter.</p><p>They took the five stairs up to B. Elena took her own keycard from her pocket and tapped it against the sensor outside the front door, and the door opened. On a small shelf just inside the front door was a keycard, and Elena grabbed it, turned around, and handed it to Cloud.</p><p>“Here,” she said. “This is gonna unlock this suite and… that’s about it, probably,” she said. “Um, you don’t have to stay, but if you’re hungry, there’s a cafeteria by the patient rooms. And be sure not to miss your meeting with the president tonight, okay?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Cloud took the keycard from her, and peered over her shoulder into the small cabin beyond. Elena realized he was eager to get on his own and she seemed suddenly embarrassed, quickly ducking out of his way.</p><p>“If you need me, my room is actually just next door!” She pointed towards another one of the small cabins. “I’m C. Anyway… bye.” With that, she turned and headed down the stairs, turned towards the path, and within moments, was out of view from of the trees. </p><p>Cloud closed the door, tucked the keycard into pocket, and let out his own puff of air. He couldn’t help but feel that, somehow, he’d gotten himself into another mess.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Sorry for the wait, I wanted to add a bit more to the story sooner, but I decided it was important to take the time to read On the Way to a Smile to find out everything I could about Rufus and the things he's been through since FF7 ended. I also plotted out the rest of the story carefully so I could make sure I knew exactly where this was going as opposed to the more vague overview I had before. I don't know how frequently I'll update and I don't want to commit to any specific schedule just yet though since a lot of stuff is in flux for me right now, but if that changes I'll put it in chapter notes. :)</p><p>Comments are always appreciated! Stay safe &amp; thanks again for reading!</p>
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